A former Auckland lawyer already facing multiple money laundering charges is now the subject of a bankruptcy application over an unpaid debt to the New Zealand Law Society, Lane Nichols from The New Zealand Herald has reported.
Rohineet Sharma, 56, who was struck off the roll for misconduct, is alleged to have laundered more than $600,000 across two cases. He denies the charges and is scheduled to stand trial later this year.
Separately, the Law Society has applied to the High Court to have Sharma declared bankrupt, citing an outstanding debt that has grown to $28,581.89. The sum relates to a costs order imposed by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal in 2015. According to court documents, a bankruptcy notice for $17,081.89 was issued in August last year, but Sharma failed to comply.
A High Court judge is expected to consider the application at a hearing on Friday.
Sharma was previously removed from the legal profession after the tribunal found he had falsified financial documents to secure a mortgage on a commercial property. In its ruling, the tribunal said his actions were “deliberate and not an inadvertent error as described by the practitioner”, Herald reported.
“We did not accept his assertion that he was being candid with the tribunal; to the contrary we concluded that in a number of crucial respects his evidence was simply not credible,” the decision said, as quoted by Herald.
“That finding elevates the misconduct to conduct involving dishonesty and is very serious misconduct indeed.”
The tribunal concluded that striking Sharma off was the only appropriate penalty and also ordered him to pay more than $15,000 in costs.
In a statement to The New Zealand Herald, a Law Society spokesperson confirmed it had filed the bankruptcy application.
Sharma is also accused of using a company bank account to receive $400,000 from Tim Michalick, a luxury yacht skipper who believed he was investing in low-risk bonds. The funds were allegedly part of a sophisticated investment scam that cost Michalick his life savings.
Police allege the money was transferred to a Kiwibank account linked to Sharma’s company, Green Solar 24, in February 2023. Within a day, about $200,000 was allegedly used to pay contractors working on Sharma’s Wai o Taiki Bay home or moved into other accounts under his control. A further $50,000 was allegedly used to cover school fees.
He also faces additional money laundering charges involving more than $200,000 linked to another alleged victim. If convicted, Sharma could face up to seven years in prison.
Initially charged in 2021, Sharma was granted interim name suppression until 2024, when a judge ruled that public interest outweighed the need for continued anonymity, Herald reported.
In court filings, Sharma argued that publishing his identity would jeopardise several multimillion-dollar renewable energy ventures involving local iwi and international investors. He also raised concerns about his mental health, stating he had been experiencing nightmares and had been referred for counselling.
However, Justice Geoffrey Venning dismissed those claims, describing the potential business impact as “speculative” and noting that supporting agreements were “entirely conditional”, Herald reported.
While acknowledging that Sharma’s reputation could suffer, the judge said that was an expected consequence of facing serious criminal charges. He added that prospective investors were entitled to be aware of the allegations when considering any business dealings.
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